Using speech recognition applications users of computers and computer-based devices (e.g., BLACKBERRY® hand-held devices, computer-based cell phones, etc.), collectively referred to herein as computing devices, can give a verbal command and expect the computing device to take a corresponding action in response. Verbal computing device commands in the English language currently generally take the form of a verb, i.e., action, followed by the entire name of an object. Exemplary verbal computing device commands include “Delete the word Fred,” “Run Red Star Ball V1 5.2,” and “Click Tools”.
The number of verbal computing device commands for a system is generally the number of verbs, or actions, multiplied by the number of objects. Typical computing device systems that use speech recognition must support approximately fifty (50) verbs and generally five hundred (500) objects, which equates to thousands of valid verbal computing device commands.
The process of applying speech recognition for verbal commands by requiring the computing device user to utter a verb followed by the entire object name is workable. However, the experience can get frustrating because of long-winded verbal command requirements, i.e., the requirement that the verbal computing device commands include all the words of the entire command. Some if not many users would find a computing device more flexible and easy to use if, for example, their verbal command “Run Ball” was correctly responded to, rather than always having to utter “Run Red Star Ball V1 5.2” to get the same action.
User frustration can occur when the computing device fails to take action because a user neglects to vocalize the entire command. For example, a user's command “Run Red Star Ball V1” will fail to launch the appropriate application even though it is only missing the final “5.2” command designation. Other sources of frustration can arise from a user failing to vocalize one or more interim command words. For example, the verbal command “Run Star Ball V1 5.2” will not be processed because the user has neglected to include the interim word “Red” in the verbal command. Additionally, users can get frustrated when they are required to include the proper action, or verb, in their verbal command phrase, even when there is only one plausible action for the identified object at a particular time. For example, a user may find it frustrating, and cumbersome, when required to say “Run Red Start Ball V1 5.2” when attempting to launch the Red Star Ball V1 5.2 program, especially when the only plausible action for when the phrase “Red Star Ball” is vocalized is to initiate, or run, the Red Star Ball V1 5.2 program.